Rajskub talks '24,' sparring with Sutherland

TORONTO - "24" star Mary Lynn Rajskub says she had put the action-packed spy series well behind her when word came down that Jack was coming back.

"I honestly spent like two or three days in shock, like, 'What do you mean?' Just, like, walking about the house to my husband going, 'What? How is this really happening?'" Rajskub said in a recent phone interview from Venice, where she was on a break from the London set.

"But then I had a long time to warm up to the idea and it was quite a while before they approached me in particular. So by the time they came to me with the offer I was just like, 'OK, I'm ready, I'm just waiting for you guys to call.'"

Four years after the addictive serial ended, the groundbreaking franchise is gearing up to unleash 12 new episodes in the high-octane saga of counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland.

In "24: Live Another Day," Rajskub returns as computer whiz Chloe, but after such a long time away from the role she says it took her a while to get used to the idea of resetting the clock for yet another adventure.

"(After the finale) I spent the first year or two thinking that the movie might happen and then after that it was like, 'OK, this is done, moving on,'" Rajskub says.

"And I had started doing standup comedy and comedy again and I was just starting to go on the road doing my longer sets when I got the call about '24,' which was kind of hilarious. It was, like, 'OK, I'll drop this comedy and let's go back to '24'."

The new batch of episodes picks up several years after the events of the series finale back in 2010. Jack is on the run and Chloe is in a dark place emotionally, says Rajskub.

"Her relationship with Jack is very bad, she doesn't like him very much, she doesn't agree with him and that was a cool thing for us to play because we don't see eye-to-eye and that was the first time I think Chloe's been confrontative with him and even more so because she suffered a personal tragedy," she says.

"That's kind of put her into this tailspin ... and she became very anti-government because of that and she works for this company ... which is similar to a WikiLeaks-type situation. She's feeling bad."

According to Fox, the new shows retain the same fast-paced format with split screens and interweaving storylines fans are familiar with, with 12 hour-long episodes this time representing 24 hours.

Rajskub describes the comeback as an "amped-up" version of the original.

"There's more explosions, more visuals, especially being in London.... and I think it's just everyone is paying careful attention to make sure that it lives up to it but still remains '24,'" she says.

Rajskub says she's enjoyed a nice reunion with Sutherland, noting their characters spar early on when they first meet up again.

"The stuff I was most nervous and most excited about is when Jack and I first encounter each other — Jack and Chloe, they really don't see eye-to-eye and they're butting heads," she says. "She's not very happy so I was really kind of mean to him and that was exciting for me but it's cool to be so comfortable with somebody while going into new territory.

"And then there are other days — one day in particular where I'm sitting with a laptop and he's driving and I'm in the passenger seat and I'm giving him just straight information and it's just coming out of my mouth so fast and I think I probably like flubbed a couple of words and ... we both just started laughing because it was a classic '24' Jack-and-Chloe moment."

Although Sutherland's relentless character Jack has always been the main driver — and pop culture icon — for "24," Rajskub's comically quirky Chloe emerged as a fan favourite over the course of the series.

Rajskub says she's surprised how the character's profile has evolved over the years, and marvels at the fanbase Chloe has amassed.

"Early on it was a surprise to me that I was even hired back. Some of those early days I got hired on for four episodes, for six episodes and then it just grew from there," she recalls, noting that at some point "the chemistry kind of took over" between her and Sutherland.

"When I first started doing it she was very much a rule-follower and a computer nerd and somebody who was that annoying person that you worked with. Albeit in a very intense, amplified situation. And then slowly, I don't even remember how exactly it happened, little by little (she) just started helping Jack and that's when things really took a big turn. It was like, 'Oh, OK, she's doing this stuff and he's counting on her' and it just turned into a completely different beast."

Rajskub she says she's curious to see how the reincarnated "24" competes in this new era of competitive specialty programming.

She traces the high-calibre writing of current binge-worthy serials including "Mad Men," "Game of Thrones" and "The Walking Dead" to the groundwork laid by "24," which debuted in November 2001 and was one of the earliest series to usher in marathon viewings.

"The writing at its time was ahead of its time ... like not overly hitting stuff on the head with the audience. And it still feels like that," she says, noting the show's many twists and turns kept fans chattering long after the credits rolled.

"In a very different way than 'Game of Thrones' I think that '24' was one of the first shows to do that and it's still, there are parts of it where you're like, 'Are you freaking kidding me? That just happened?' And that's always been the beauty of '24' — that there are those fantastical, exaggerated extreme things along with the commentary on politics that's very real."

She says "24" is still a unique show, thanks to strong writing and well-developed characters that stand the test of time.

"When it ended before, I had that feeling like, 'Why are they cancelling this? People love it and it's one of these shows that feel like it could go on forever.' But on the writer-producer end, I think it's really hard for them to create that recipe.... I think it's a really hard puzzle piece for them to work and that this four-year break has kind of given everybody that space they needed and then they're like, 'All right, let's give this a go again.'"

Once the shoot wraps in June, Rajskub says she plans to head out on a standup tour over the summer. Her material mostly revolves around her personal life, she says, warning fans of "24" that they won't glean any inside information on the show from her set.

"It's so bizarre that it's even coming back," she says of the show.

"Of course, I feel less of the pressure than I think Kiefer and the writers and producers do and also the network. I know it's really important for them, for everybody, to get this right. But with everything I've read and everything I've done, I think it's looking really good."

"24: Live Another Day" debuts May 5 on Global and Fox with two back-to-back episodes.